Smooth Crossing

Don and Debbie made it in late at night, but they had their luggage and were in good spirits, so all was good. We pulled out of Sheboygan early knowing we had a four or five hour cruise ahead of us. The weather was hazy, not too cold and the water smooth, which made for a pleasant cruise. We made Leland (MI) Township Harbor about 3 p.m.

It’s a charming small town on the tip of the pinkie finger of Michigan’s glove where the Leland (Carp) River flows into Lake Michigan. The natural fish ladder leading from lake Michigan to the Leland River was a traditional Native American fishing grounds. White settlers began arriving in the 1830s and the towns’ industry continued with commercial fishing and iron smelting. The riverfront is lined by a boardwalk and weathered fishing shanties (now tiny shops and ‘restaurants’) by a waterfall flowing from river to lake. We walked around looking in a few shops, stopped at a really cute and friendly candy store where Don bought us caramel corn, then to beer at a tavern on the way to dinner a wonderful restaurant overlooking the river not surprisingly called the Riverside Inn.